I’ve been working a lot. I come home every evening, and I usually work after a full day in the office. Hey, I work for a start-up and that’s just the way it is. There’s a lot to get done, and I admit it…I’m a bit of a workaholic.

Jasmine has decided that my hours away from home are MORE than enough. Each night after dinner, I pull the computer onto my lap and begin plugging away. That’s when the campaign starts. First, it’s a cute face and waggy tail. She then sprints around the coffee table, jumps onto her bed and perches on the corner with a glowing, bright face filled with happiness and anticipation.

“woof.” Just a little one. Then a “maw maw maw” grumble to let me know that her impatience is growing. She is waiting for her “Have you been a good girl? Would you like a bone?” ritual. I get up, give her a bone and she comps away at the tiny rawhide treat until it is no more. Then it’s back around the coffee table for Round 2 of the battle of wills.

“woof.” “maw maw maw.” “Wooft.” When I try to ignore her, bits of her impatience are accentuated by the little wooft-tuft of air at the end.

I try to guess what she wants. Sometimes, it’s “training” (aka gimme a treat, will ya?). Sometimes it’s “play with me” (aka sit on the floor as I chew away at one of my toys). Other times it’s training followed by play.

And then the daddy of all requests that puts me out of working commission for the evening–lap time. When she snuggles into my lap and snores her little head away, well, I know that I’m not going to grab my computer, displace her on my lap and start working again.

Last night, I told my husband that Jasmine made me quit working for the evening. He said, “Good dog, Jasmine.”

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Jasmine is loving the fall. She gets very rompy and frisky out in the chilly fall air. She’s sniffing all the chipmunk holes and having a dandy time.

I took her out the other day, and she romped down the brick path and turned the corner around the far side of the house. All of a sudden, I heard a light wooft. And another wooft. Not a bark, a wooft. It sounds like a little woof with a puff of air right after. A couple of more woofts, and I thought there was some sort of animal in the yard causing alarm.

I walked down to the corner and peered around. Jasmine was tail-up, ears-up at attention staring at…the new utility trailer parked on the side of the house.

Apparently, the trailer was an evil threat to her yard, her territory. She was giving a warning wooft to show it who’s boss.

It must have worked. The evil has been vanquished, and the trailer no longer poses a threat.

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One of the grandkids had a hockey game yesterday, and instead of leaving Jasmine at home, we decided to take her with us to watch the game. It was a “mite” game–a hockey league for kids 8 years and under. It’s really a blast–the kids are learning the game and having fun, and it’s so cute to watch them play.

There was a multi-fold challenge for Jasmine:

Kids: Two grandkids and four of their cousins ranging in age from 3 to 14

Ice Rink: Brrrrrr!

People: Lots of kids, parents, loud noises and confined spaces

I put Jasmine in her smart plaid fleece coat and carried her into the ice rink. It was total chaos. Kids running everywhere. People talking loudly. She shivered a bit but remained fairly calm. I spoke to her in calm tones and after a few minutes, she calmed down. People were smiling and pointing at her (oh the cuteness) and one woman came over to pet her. She shut down a bit, but allowed people to pet her with no struggle.

We sat down and watched the game, and while she shivered a bit at first, she was calm and relaxed through most of it. The yelling and cheering didn’t bother her. Kids running by her didn’t bother her. She was in my arms, warm and cozy. Hubby was close by as well and gave her pets and scratchies when she peered up at him.

After the game, we went back to the grandkids’ home and had dinner. Jasmine was her usual “are you eating…did you drop anything” self. It was good to see. The chaos and commotion from the kids didn’t bother her at all as long as we were close.

She’s coming along well, and we’ll have plenty more opportunity to socialize her with the games, practices and other assorted activities coming up. In fact, two of the grandkids are coming to stay next weekend–a perfect opportunity for Jasmine to shine!

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One of the side effects of Jasmine’s fascination with the smells in the yard is that she’s no longer reliable for recall. She gets out there, she romps around, and I call her to get her back inside. She is totally taken with the smells in the air and on the ground, and as she runs around sniffing at the chipmunk holes and other such exciting sites, her selective hearing starts.

We speculated that maybe it was her hearing…but the tiny crinkle of a food wrapper from 100 yards away will roust her from a deep sleep into full attention. Nope. Not it. She’s ignoring me. So much for my pride in my ability to recall her and her steadfast focus on me. How silly of me!

What’s really wonderful about all this is that there are signs every day that she’s coming more out of her shell. She’s now focused on mooching food off of me every time I eat. It’s like she thinks she has a nickel of “cute” and I’m her vending machine…plop in that coin, press a button, and out comes the candy! And for the most part, she’s right. I’m such a total sucker for that cute face. I know I have to stop reacting or she’ll become increasingly whiny and difficult. I have to have courage!

She’s also pushing other boundaries (another good sign). The boundaries with the recall, well let’s just say that we’re starting from basics. I’m asserting my control by leashing her when I take her out so she doesn’t have a chance to ignore me. I’m also starting to do our recall exercises as well…I should be just about back in control when the snow flies. Then, she won’t want to go outside at all, and recall will be the least of my worries.

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I can’t believe it’s October already. Fall has arrived and the leaves are turning brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow. Many of them have hit the ground in our yard. I’m sure I’ll enjoy them until I have to help rake them up.

Jasmine’s demeanor has been changing with the weather. Perhaps the vacation had a positive effect on her. Perhaps little critters have been running through our yard in preparation for winter. Whatever the reason, Jasmine has been a rompy little creature this week. In the morning and in the evening when I take her out before I leave for work and after I return home, Jasmine goes bounding through the leaves in full bunny mode. Bounce bounce bounce she goes as she romps through the yard, tail up and waggy, ears flapping. She sniffs the air, the ground, she bounces through the yard and then runs her “circuit” around the stone wall, up the side of the hill and down the stone steps back to me. It’s so fun to watch because in those brief moments, she is pure doggie joy.

She runs back to me with her tail wagging and comes up on the deck, ready to go back inside to her comfy bed, toys and warm lap. Watching her brings light to my day. It’s so good to see her so happy.